Ice pan



A. WICKS.

\lcE PAN. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1920- Patented Feb. 211, 1922.

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MAURICE A. WIGKS, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TQKELVINATOR CORPORA- TION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ICE PAN.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

' Application filed September 23, 1920. Serial No. 412,249.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAURICE A. VICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of 'ayne and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ice Pans of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to .an ice pan or tray for use in domestic refrigerators of the mechanically operated type for the purpose of producing ice in small quantities to be used in beverages, the garnishing of foods and like purposes. The imperative requirements of such a device are that it shall produce ice rapidly, and that the same be either divided or easily divisible into blocks of convenient size for the purpose indicated. A plain tray is inconvenient because its fiat bottom generally becomes frozen solidly to the base on which it rests and owing to its large unbroken area, it is very difficult to loosen therefrom; also because the smallness of its surface area compared with its volume causes the freezing action to be slow and the single sheet of ice produced thereby cannot be broken into convenient sized lumps without considerable labor and waste. To obviate these difficulties, an ice pan has been proposed comprising a large number of individual cups rigidly secured together in a frame, so that the resulting ice will occur in separate lumps, but this device possesses the disadvantages of high cost, high heat capacity, and diiiiculty of filling so many independent cups to the same level.

The objects of the present invention are the provision of an ice pan which can be made of a single piece of metal and with a minimum of cost; which is so shaped as to accelerate the production of ice; which possesses a very large ratio of surface area to cubical capacity; the provision of an ice pan from which the ice can be removed with a minimum of difiiculty and produced in the form of convenient blocks without either labor or waste; while further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, I have shown certain illustrative embodiments of my invention although without intent to limit myself thereto. Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved ice pan; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the same in place in the freezing chamber; Fig. 4: is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of dish.

- The device is preferably made by pressing in suitable dies a single sheet of thin copper, the dies being so shaped as to produce a flat tray whose bottom is provided with upwardly-folded, spaced corrugations arranged at right angles to each other so as to define rectangular areas of the desired size. Some at least of these folds or corrugations terminate below the Water line and thus offer no obstruction to the filling of a large compartment to a desired level; but all of them are of an open and spreading nature so as to prevent any large area of the bottom of the dish from making contact with the supporting-surface, and also to permit the free passage of air under and around the dish and thus promote the freezing.

In the' embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, l-1 represent the sides of the dish and 22 the ends, the whole being surrounded by a rim 3 which is extended and rolled at the ends to provide handles 4, 4. Between these side walls the tray is formed with spaced, parallel, longitudinal folds 5-5 which rise to the same height as the walls 1-l, thereby producing a plurality of independent, elongated troughs, here three in number. Traversing each trough are the cross folds 6-6 which in the form here shown rise only part way into each channel although they are carried well up each side of each trough as shown at 77. As a result, when water is frozen in such a tray the resulting ic'e takes the form of narrow rods having transverse notches extending about three sides of the rods which can easily be cracked across; in order to remove these rods of ice unbroken, it is suiiicient to remove the tray for a short time out of the freezing chamber or to invert the same and pour hot water upon it momentarily, but an even easier plan is to take the handles H, one in each hand, and twist the dish slightly endwise whereupon every block will simultaneously become separated from every other block and from the pan itself.

In Figs. 3 and 4: I have shown my improved ice pan in operative position in a freezing chamber consisting of a horizontal flue 8 traversing the body of a brine-tank and surrounded by an expansion coil 10. 'hile my'improved ice pan is not restricted to this particular kind of cooling device, certain features which are common to most refrigerating devices exhibit a peculiarly effective action in company therewith, since the large air contact area produces extra rapid freezing of the water, especially when a draught exists through the flue, while the small area of metal contact minimizes the annoyance caused by freezing of the pan in place.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 5, none of the folds 5 or (S extend to the top of the walls 1, 2, but terminate at such a height as to be entirely submerged by the water, the resulting ice cake constituting a sheet having both longitudinal and transverse grooves which can readily be separated into lumps. It will be understood that other changes also can be made within the scope of my invention since I do not restrict myself in any manner except as specifically pointed out in the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A pan for the production of ice in domestic mechanical refrigerators consisting of a rectangular metal sheet having upturned ends and sides, and also traversed by upwardly extending longitudinal and transverse folds which define blocks of ice, the transverse folds being depressed centrally between each pair of longitudinal folds below the tops of the longitudinal folds.

2. A pan for the production'of ice in domestic mechanical refrigerators consisting of a rectangular metal sheet having upturned ends and sides, and also-traversed by upwardly extending intersecting longitudinal and transverse folds, which define blocks of ice, the transverse folds being depressed centrally between each pair of longitudinal folds below the tops of the longitudinal folds and rising at either side of the depressions toward the tops of longitudinal folds, the walls of said folds being spaced apart to permit the access of air beneath the pan.

3. A pan for the production of ice in domestic mechanical refrigerators consisting of a rectangular metal sheet having upturned ends and sides, and also traversed by upwardly extending intersecting folds, some at least of which terminate below the liquid level so as to define blocks of ice without complete separation. at. A pan for the production of ice in domestic mechanical refrigerators consisting of arectangular metal sheet having upturned ends and sides, and also traversed by upwardly extending intersecting folds, some at least of which terminate below the liquid level so as to define blocks of ice without complete separation, the walls of said folds being spaced apart.

5. An ice pan for, the purpose described, comprising a rectangular tray whose bottom is intersected by upwardly extending folds parallel to the outer walls and defining blocks of ice, certain of said folds rising substantially to the level of the side walls and others terminating below liquid level.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

MAURICE A. WICKS. 

